Finding Aid for the Records of the Index of American Design, 1929-2018 (bulk 1936-1942) Summary Information Repository National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20565 [email protected] Title Records of the Index of American Design Identifier 44 Creator United States. Works Progress Administration. Index of American Design. Date 1929-2018 (bulk 1936-1942) Extent 290 cubic feet (734 boxes); approximately 29,000 digital files Abstract This collection documents the activities of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project to preserve and document the development of American folk and decorative arts from the colonial period through 1900 while providing relief work to unemployed artists, researchers, and photographers during the Great Depression. Materials consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, lists, data sheets, publications, photograph prints and negatives, color notes. Historical Note Created in 1935, the Index of American Design (Index) was a program in the Fine Arts Divisions of the Federal Art Project (FAP) under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Index project had three objectives: to employ and maintain the skills of artists who found themselves unemployed during the depression years; to preserve America’s artistic and cultural heritage by documenting the development of arts and crafts in different parts of the country; and to create a series of portfolios from the Index watercolor renderings that would serve as a permanent guide for artists, scholars, and the public. The initial idea for the Index project began with discussions between Romana Javitz, head of the New York Public Library’s Picture Collection, and artists who were conducting research in the collection for WPA projects. Ruth Reeves, a textile designer and painter, was especially interested in the idea and proposed it to Frances Pollak, head of Educational Projects for the New York City Emergency Relief Administration. Pollak agreed that the project would be a productive way to provide work relief to commercial artists and asked Reeves to formulate a December 2020 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gallery Archives 1 of 250 plan. In August of 1935, Reeves presented a draft of the proposed project to the Federal Art Project national staff in Washington, DC. A pilot project began in New York City shortly after the Washington presentation. In December 1935, the Index of American Design was organized as a nationwide project. Although its administration was centralized in Washington, DC, the national project was highly decentralized, operating in thirty-seven units in thirty-four states and the District of Columbia. California and New York each had two units. Holger Cahill was appointed the national director and Constance Rourke served as national editor. Ruth Reeves became the national coordinator and was succeeded by C. Adolph Glassgold in 1936 and Benjamin Knotts in 1940. A small research staff was established in Washington, DC to supplement a larger and existing research staff in New York City. Since state program units could only be created where large numbers of unemployed artists needed work relief, not all states had an Index program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia had Index program units: Alabama, Arizona, California (Northern), California (Southern), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Index project primarily recorded American traditional, decorative, popular, and folk art of peoples of European descent from the 17th through the 19th century. Some units, however, included other cultures in their documentation, such as Spanish missions in Southern California and Shaker communities in Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and New Hampshire. The units in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, especially New York City and Massachusetts, produced many renderings and conducted extensive research. The New York City project was the largest unit and had access to the greatest variety of decorative arts in museums and private collections in its surrounding area. In January 1936, participating units received a preliminary Index manual outlining the objectives and execution of the project. Romana Javitz and Phyllis Crawford, research director of the New York City project, drew up the research method of documentation guidelines. Units also received a supplementary bulletin with instructions on rendering techniques based on the teachings of Suzanne Chapman, an artist on the Massachusetts Index project. Individual units were responsible for researching and selecting objects under the guidelines as well as for employing qualified artists to produce the meticulous watercolor sketches and renderings of the objects. The Index project carried out its activities for just over seven years, employing close to 1,200 artists and producing more than 18,000 watercolor renderings. Before publication of the renderings was realized, the project came to an end in March 1942 after the United States entered World War II. When the project closed, the Federal Works Agency, the oversight agency of the WPA, December 2020 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gallery Archives 2 of 250 transferred the Index renderings and the New York City project files to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. From 1942 to 1943, the museum managed the Index records for the federal government. During this period, The Met also mounted exhibitions of the renderings in its own galleries, organized twelve traveling exhibitions around the United States, and published several booklets on the Index. In July 1943, the Federal Works Agency designated the National Gallery of Art, then a little more than two years old, as the permanent repository for the Index materials. When the collection arrived at the Gallery in early 1944, it was placed under the supervision of the National Gallery of Art assistant director Macgill James. On July 1, 1945, the Gallery specifically created an office to oversee the Index renderings and files under Erwin O. Christensen and two assistants. Christensen continued his work as the curator of the Index until 1960. During this period, the Index renderings were exhibited regularly at the Gallery, throughout the United States, and at a few international venues. In 1984, the Gallery Archives, a newly created department at the National Gallery of Art, assumed management of the Index files, as part of its core responsibility for maintaining and preserving the permanently valuable records of the institution. The watercolor renderings continued to be part of the National Gallery of Art permanent collection under the curatorial department of Modern Prints and Drawings. Scope and Content The records of the Index of American Design measure approximately 290 cubic feet and span from 1929 to 2018 (with gaps). Most of the materials date from 1936 to 1942 and reference material that predates the creation of the Index project is included. The records document a unique national project to record American distinct craft tradition. They provide an overview of the working process of the project from its early days to its termination and include records created after the Index project closed. Comprised primarily of correspondence, research materials, and photographs, the collection offers a significant resource for information about Index project activities as well as a study of American design culture, artisanship, and craftsmanship. Of special interest in the collection are extensive photographs of original objects that were considered for inclusion in the project and reproductions of renderings that may be the only record of the original artists’ works. There are also numerous color notes documenting the artists’ working methods as they created the watercolor renderings. In addition, the records include thousands of data sheets that contain provenance and rare information about the original objects from which the watercolors were rendered. The original project images (44D) and data sheets (44A3) have been digitized and are available to researchers. Arrangement Materials are arranged in the following subgroups and series: December 2020 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Gallery Archives 3 of 250 Subgroup A Original Project (WPA) Series A1 New York City Project Files, 1936-1942 Series A2 General Files, 1936-1942 Series A3 Data Sheets, circa 1936-1942 Series A4 Object Card Files, circa 1936-1942 Series A5 Research Card Files, circa 1936-1942 Subgroup B The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) Series B1 Management Files, 1941-1944 Subgroup C National Gallery of Art (NGA) Series C1 Administrative Files, 1943-1965 Series C2 Correspondence, 1943-1968 Series C4 Exhibition Files, 1929-1969 Series C5 Location Reference Files, 1949-1960 Series C6 Artists Files, circa 1980-2018 Subgroup D Original Project (WPA) Images Series D1-3 Objects and Renderings, circa 1936-1942 Series D4 Color Notes, Sketches, and Working Drawings, circa 1936-1942 Series D6-7 Vicentini Shaker Villages, circa 1936-1942 Series D10-11, 21 California Missions and Related Subjects, circa 1936-1942 Series D13-15 Exhibitions, Staff, and Publicity, circa 1936-1942 Series D17-18